Ice mitigating robot

Abstract

An apparatus and method for detecting the presence of a slippery material, such as ice, on a surface and for taking action to mitigate the potential hazard presented by such material automatically with little or no human intervention. In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, a mobile machine, such as a robot, is controlled to move automatically across a surface along a path. The mobile machine automatically detects for the presence of a slippery material on the surface as it traverses the surface. The mobile machine automatically takes an action to mitigate the slippery material in response to the detection of the slippery material on the surface.

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a body;   movable ground engaging structures attached to the body;   a motor coupled to the moveable ground engaging structures and configured to drive the moveable ground engaging structures to move the apparatus across a surface;   a detector configured to detect a slippery material on the surface; and   a controller coupled to the detector and configured to control automatically movement of the apparatus across the surface along a path, and to control the apparatus to perform automatically an action to mitigate the slippery material in response to the detection of the slippery material on the surface.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the moveable ground engaging structures are selected from the group of movable ground engaging structures consisting of wheels, tracks, and legs. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the motor includes an electric motor powered by a battery. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to monitor a power level of the battery and to control automatically movement of the apparatus to move the apparatus to a location for charging the battery in response to a determination that the monitored power level of the battery is below a selected low power level. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the detector includes a detector configured to detect ice on the surface selected from the group of ice detection devices consisting of devices configured to detect ice from the reflection of radiation from the surface, devices configured to detect slippage of a physical structure in contact with the surface, and devices configured to detect ice from electrical characteristics of the surface. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slippery material is ice and wherein the action to mitigate the slippery material includes an action selected from the group of actions consisting of physically scoring the ice, physically breaking the ice, melting the ice with heat, melting the ice with radiation directed from the apparatus onto the ice, and applying an ice mitigation material onto the ice. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the action to mitigate the slippery material includes applying a mitigation material onto the slippery material. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the mitigation material is selected from the group of mitigation materials consisting of a material that increases the surface co-efficient of friction, a material that melts the slippery material, and a material that absorbs the slippery material. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , comprising additionally a storage structure attached to the body, wherein the mitigation material is stored in the storage structure, and wherein the controller is configured to monitor a level of the mitigation material stored in the storage structure and to control automatically movement of the apparatus to move the apparatus to a location for loading mitigation material into the storage structure in response to a determination that the monitored level of mitigation material in the storage structure is below a selected low material level. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the action to mitigate the slippery material includes sending a determined location of the slippery material from the apparatus to a remote mitigation system. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the slippery material is ice, wherein the surface includes a plurality of zones, wherein the remote mitigation system includes an independently controllable apparatus associated with each zone and configured to be controllable to melt ice on the surface in a corresponding zone, and wherein the remote mitigation system is configured to control a selected independently controllable apparatus associated with a particular zone to melt ice on the surface in the particular zone in response to the determined location being in the particular zone. 
     
     
         12 . A method of automatically detecting and mitigating a slippery material on a surface, comprising:
 providing a mobile machine including a detector configured to detect a slippery material on the surface;   controlling automatically movement of the mobile machine across the surface along a path;   automatically detecting for a slippery material on the surface as the mobile machine is moved across the surface; and   automatically performing an action to mitigate the slippery material in response to the detection of the slippery material on the surface.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the mobile machine includes an electric motor powered by a battery and further comprising monitoring a power level of the battery and controlling automatically movement of the mobile machine to move the mobile machine to a location for charging the battery in response to a determination that the monitored power level of the battery is below a selected low power level. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the detector is configured to detect ice on the surface and wherein detecting for a slippery material on the surface includes a method of detecting ice on the surface selected from the group of ice detection methods consisting of detecting ice from the reflection of radiation from the surface, detecting slippage of a physical structure in contact with the surface, and detecting ice from electrical characteristics of the surface. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the slippery material is ice and wherein the action to mitigate the slippery material includes an action selected from the group of actions consisting of physically scoring the ice, physically breaking the ice, melting the ice with heat, and melting the ice with radiation directed from the mobile machine onto the ice, and applying an ice mitigation material onto the ice. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the action to mitigate the slippery material includes applying a mitigation material onto the slippery material. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the mitigation material is selected from the group of ice mitigation materials consisting of a material that increases the surface co-efficient of friction, a material that melts the slippery material, and a material that absorbs the slippery material. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the mitigation material is stored in a storage structure on the mobile machine, and further comprising monitoring a level of the mitigation material stored in the storage structure and controlling automatically movement of the mobile machine to move the mobile machine to a location for loading mitigation material into the storage structure in response to a determination that the monitored level of mitigation material in the storage structure is below a selected low material level. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the action to mitigate the slippery material includes sending a determined location of the slippery material from the mobile machine to a remote mitigation system. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the slippery material is ice, wherein the surface includes a plurality of zones, wherein the remote mitigation system includes an independently controllable apparatus associated with each zone and configured to be controllable to melt ice on the surface in a corresponding zone, and wherein the remote mitigation system is configured to control a selected independently controllable apparatus associated with a particular zone to melt ice on the surface in the particular zone in response to the determined location being in the particular zone.